Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2008

PADRAIG HARRINGTON
INTERVIEW

(Conducted by European Tour Press Officer, Scott Crockett)

SCOTT CROCKETT: Padraig, thanks as always for coming in and joining us and welcome to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a tournament you know well and a tournament you've done well in the past. Give us your thoughts on being here this week.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Always look forward. This is my first tournament back in Europe well, it is the first tournament back in Europe since I won the PGA, since I won the two majors. So it's nice to come back and get a lot of congratulations from players and the caddies and different people involved with the tour that kind of it feels like the PGA is a long time ago, so when somebody comes up and says well done, PGA feels like a year ago at this stage, and it's nice. It's a very nice atmosphere for me to come back to.
As regards the golf courses, I obviously like playing links golf. I like the three courses we play here, all different, but very good in their own right, distinctly different. Got a very good partner this week, always tend to enjoy the week. So everything about this week is ideal for me in terms of getting up for a tournament to play in.
Q: Give us an idea of what happened after The Ryder Cup.
HARRINGTON: I was five days more in the United States. I had a little bit of I had to go and make part of an advertisement for one of my sponsors, and then I went down to do some biomechanical testing in the GPI (ph) facility in California for three days and came home on Saturday. I feel fine, even though I know from different things that I am a little bit run down, so the key is obviously not to overdo things this week. It's going to be a long week, as it always is. It's a tough week in these conditions. So the key is to enjoy it as much as I can and relax as much as I can and not overdo things and just let the golf happen. Q. You said recently after The Ryder Cup, you couldn't wait for the season to end because you're tired. Do you feel a bit fresher now?
HARRINGTON: I wouldn't say I feel any fresher, but I actually look forward to this week. This is a week that I enjoy, I really do enjoy. I wish most weeks were like this on Tour. It's a very relaxed, easy going week. The golf courses are excellent. The golf courses are set up very well for me. It's the ideal sort of courses for me to compete on. So everything about this week is good for me, so I will be here regardless, but I am fatigued. I'm looking forward to either eight weeks off during the winter, I'm looking forward to getting some practice in and getting some gym work in. I haven't practiced in three days since the end of last week, I haven't practiced since the Open, since before the Open.
It's been a good couple of months really where I haven't put in any concerted work on my game, my short game, anything like that. I miss that. I like doing the practice and I haven't been physically up for it at this stage. My gym work is slipping a little bit because I'm tired, as well. I played two rounds of golf, competitive round in the next three weeks, so I'll be quite ready for the Volvo Masters, and then I'll play the HSBC and Barclays, and that's me for the year.
Q. These biomechanical tests, did they show that you were run down in any way? HARRINGTON: Oh, no. The biomechanical tests are simply you put on one of these suits and you swing a golf club and it says what every muscle in your body is basically doing. So it's something I would do at the start of the year and I thought it was a good opportunity to get it in. I had planned it maybe a while ago to get it in at this time of the year, just to keep an eye on what's happening and what's changing.
Q. Who has told you you are run down, apart from knowing it for yourself?
HARRINGTON: My trainer, working with my trainer, blood tests. Blood tests show that all of the markers were tired. There's a couple of different things in it. Like I was low in anti oxidants; my white blood cells were too active and a couple of other indicators in it basically showing that I'm fatigued.
Q.
HARRINGTON: Well, I don't think it works like that. I think, yeah, it would be nice I would be better off with a break, yes, but I would never not be here. I'd crawl over to this tournament. This is one of the most enjoyable tournaments of the year and one of my best opportunities of the year to win. I'm not 100% ready. As I said, I really only get 100% ready for the four majors. Every other tournament outside of that, there are some sacrifices to be made and you're not exactly on form, but you try and peak at those four major tournaments and everything else has to take a little bit of a step back from them and you have to hope that you play well in other events.
Maybe I would be better off having more of a break. In hindsight, you look at my performance in the FedExCup, I couldn't have predicted I was going to have the two highs that I did in the summer. My performance in The Ryder Cup is a direct result of being .... it's not being physically tired. My gym work wouldn't be as good and my golf game wouldn't be as good. All of those markers are down, as well. It shows up.
The difference with this week is because you enjoy it, it makes up for quite a lot when you're out there. You know, I played a practice round today and practice rounds on Tuesday are normally the toughest round of the week. We played a four ball today and probably as good of a game of golf in terms of enjoyment as I've had all year. Not once did I sort of look at the clock and wonder how long it was taking. It was a breeze to play, and the week kind of goes like that. I enjoy every minute of it here.
Q. Your successes here in the Dunhill, were they in any way a stepping stone to your success in the Open?
HARRINGTON: The win in 2002 was a big win for me. It came at a very appropriate time and definitely I needed a boost to my career. I think the fact, you know, from that, I think obviously I was when you look back in hindsight, I'm a better player on links golf and that's why I've won two of these and two Opens.
I think that's just a fact of the way I was brought up playing golf; that I've done well on links golf courses. But the 2002 was an important win in terms of you know, you're working on your game and you're working on building your game. But you do need the odd win every now and again to reassure yourself, and certainly in 2002, that was at a time that was a good opportunity very opportune time for me to win in terms of giving me that assurance that what I was doing was working?
Q. Does it help that you play links golf before the Open, and should there be more?
HARRINGTON: Obviously the fact I play links golf the week before the Open helps in winning the Open. Yes, we could do with more links golf, and yes, it would give us a better chance of winning the Open.
But the Tour is a different matter. The Tour is bigger than one major championship and if we were playing more parkland golf courses and stadium golf courses, it would give us more opportunities to win the other three majors. We have to remember that a vast majority of our membership are continental Europeans, and it doesn't necessarily suit their game.
So a little bit of links golf. But it's the same thing as we should have some long golf courses, some short golf courses, open course, tight courses. What The European Tour thrives on and what we have always got to remember in Europe is what makes us strong is our variability in the courses and the conditions we play in.
I think that's the biggest strength Europe has and has helped me be the player I am because we do mix it up. We don't turn up every week, and the courses are not going to be exactly the same. They are not the same country. That's good for our players. If you want to become a winner and gain experience, having a couple of different conditions thrown at you during the year really does help a lot.
Q. Is there anything you could do to limit your tiredness?
HARRINGTON: No. I've actually managed it very well. Last year after the Open during the winter, I got sick twice. Whereas this year, the whole thing is where I am fatigued or run down, the whole key is not to let it go further so that I don't lose a winter, which I would have said I kind of lost last winter, and the early part of the year, because I really had overdone things.
The key is that when I finish my season this year is that I do feel like that I am ready to do some practice, do some work and get into the gym; that I don't feel like I don't want to lose another winter sort of thing when you can do the main body of your work.
Q. Was there a low sort of in that immediate period?
HARRINGTON: No, there hasn't well, in terms of yeah, The Ryder Cup is the only disappointment. I don't have an issue with performance in terms of it's all very obvious and explainable to me. But The Ryder Cup is disappointing to lose. I suppose it wasn't because we had won it previously or three times in the last four years, it wasn't as disappointing as say the loss in '99 was, that's for sure. It didn't feel like the loss of '99. But yeah it was disappointing.
But then again, I think the thing about this Ryder Cup is the U.S. Team seemed to play better than us, so it's not like we have any there's no what if this or what if that. They just seemed to play the better golf and the better team won on the week.
Q. Nick has come into a lot of criticism post The Ryder Cup
HARRINGTON: The captain is always judged on whether his team wins or loses, regardless of anything else, and that's always the case at The Ryder Cup. You know, captains, if they are on a winning team will be praised, and if it's a losing team, people will find the negative. You have to expect that once you take that role as captain, your team, really sets out what you're going to be judged on. It's not what the captain himself does. It's more on the team's performance. Q. Talking about the Order of Merit, obviously that's another goal.
HARRINGTON: That's the prime reason why I'm trying a little bit harder this week because I know that this is a good chance for me. I've got two tournaments left, this and the Volvo Masters. I think I've got to play really well in one of them in order to win this Order of Merit. I want to make sure obviously if I can win one of the two events, I think that more or less guarantees me the Order of Merit.
The Volvo Masters' venue is a golf course that's real hard work for me. These golf courses aren't. These really suit me while Valderrama doesn't necessarily suit me. So if I've got a better chance, it's got to be this week to perform. Doesn't mean I haven't gone into the Volvo Masters and done well there of late, but it's a lot easier for me on these golf courses. These really do suit my game where Valderrama doesn't necessarily. They are two big weeks. As I said, I'll give it 100%, and the key is, as I said, if I can get one good performance, one really big week and win one of them, it takes everybody else out of the equation.
Q. How would winning a second Order of Merit compare to winning two majors in a season and compare to winning the first one?
HARRINGTON: The first one is obviously a lot more special in terms of the first time you do anything, it's a bigger deal. I think the fact that I'm out there leading the Order of Merit makes me focus on it. I think if I wasn't leading it, I would have an eye on it but I would not be worrying about it, let's see. Look, in the end of the day, ten years time, I'll look back at 2008, and the first thing that's going to be counted is I won two majors. Yes, the Order of Merit will probably follow just in behind that, but definitely the first thing is, you know, you've won two majors in 2008. You had a great year. No matter what happens at the end of this year, I'll be a very happy man eating my Christmas dinner, that's for sure. But I would like to add the Order of Merit to it, yes. Q. Your Tournament Players Committee are in the clubhouse now discussing whether or not to up the number of tournaments required for membership?
HARRINGTON: Are they? You know more than me.
Q. They are all sitting in Peter Dawson's office. Do you want the number of tournaments to be a member to stay at 11, or do you think it should be upped?
HARRINGTON: I personally think The European Tour should look to attract more players in, more international players in. And I would agree with, I think the statement attributed to Lee during the week: Having more players come and play threatened our tour, it does make it tougher for the average player, it probably doesn't make any effect on the guy who is struggling for his card down at that end. But it does make a difference to the guy in the middle or even slightly ahead of middle. But as Lee says, that gives them incentive to get better.
I think it has been shown over the years that the better the standard, the better the field, and if we are attracting some players, the likes of people have talked about Vijay and Phil, guys like that, if we attract them, it's basically bigger pot for everybody. I would be all for it keeping it as it is and trying to get one or two of those. It would be great, too, for The European Tour to have U.S. player seek to join our tour.
That's a flow that has not happened in I don't think it's ever happened. Has ever a top U.S. player looked to come and play our tour? It would be a great step for Europe to say we've attracted the best from South Africa, we've attracted the best from Australia, obviously we have the Europeans and a few Asian players coming our way now, but we've never had that inflow from the States, and it would be nice it get them into the events. Can't do us any harm.
Q. The other question I wanted to ask is about Tiger. This chap in the States has suggested to be two years before he's back to his best, one year the leg will be functional, and it will take two years for the new ligament to be sending the right signals to his brain. How do you think it will affect the Tour with Tiger out of the mainstream a bit longer?
HARRINGTON: From your suggestion there, the guy is suggesting that when he comes back, he won't be fully fit for another year, but he'll be back? Once he's back I think everybody will be interested. I don't necessarily think it will be a bigger story if he comes back and he has to play his way into fitness. So that interest will be there. I don't necessarily think he has to come back on top of his game.
I think, you know, people will be curious to see, can he get back to the top of his game, and that will be so I actually would think that it will add to the tour. It will add to definitely having another story out there. Always does. As you guys know, a bit of intrigue helps. Even now, there's plenty of column inches devoted to the question of how well he will come back and that shows that he's still adding to the tour. I don't see an everybody at all. I think when he comes back, it will be an interesting story and while he's away it gives an opportunity for other people to gain some confidence in what they are doing and go out there and challenge him.
Q. Going back to the 11, you would have no problem in some guys being able to add just one more tournament to their schedule to become a European Tour Member?
HARRINGTON: I would be absolutely I would think that strengthens our Tour. To give them the chance of winning the event, that's fine by me. If he's threatening the Tour, he's a bigger name, it's what the sponsor wants. They want the big names. Yeah, I would be all for it. It's difficult but you have to when it comes to the tour, you have to incentivise everybody to get better, and you can't protect the guys in the middle.
You have to make them get better and these guys come in at the top and take some of the cut, well, that just shows that The European Tour is doing something right. And at the end of the day, it will increase our sponsorships and there will be more of a trickle down to those guys who think they are losing out. But I think if you look at any of these things over the years, you know, in many different sports and many different things, people are always wary of letting somebody in at the top but ultimately it makes everybody else stronger.
The only bearing it has on the lower ranked players, it will be a bigger trickle down if we get bigger names and bigger stars, they might think they will lose a bit but ultimately they probably won't and they can always get better.
Q. As I understand it, some want the number to be 13 and that's partly to make people make a greater commitment to The European Tour.
HARRINGTON: Let's get them in the door first.
Q. Have you in the busy year that you've had had time to stop and smell the roses and reflect on what you have achieved?
HARRINGTON: You know, I will enjoy sitting back, and one of the things and it did come up today, one of the things is it surprises me when I look at the guys who I put up on a pedestal as I was growing up as a junior golfer and amateur that now I have more majors than them, and that's sort of startles me a bit and shocks me a bit, and I wouldn't necessarily feel that comfortable as maybe I should in that sort of situation, but that's certainly the most interesting thing about it is the big name players, when I was growing up, now I look and say, well, gee, I've won more majors than those guys and they were my heroes.
That's a hard one. That's probably the toughest one to get to grips with; that I probably, you know, would be more successful than guys I looked at as heroes of mine. I don't want to name names but people have tried to have comparisons. Everyone achieves on their own level and you can't really it's interesting that some of my heroes have won fewer majors than me.
Q.
HARRINGTON: Well, the big time names that I grew up with in the 80s, and in golf, there's a huge number of big name stars in the game, larger than life stars coming from all around the world. Any of the European guys Bernhard Langer would be one to note, Woosie and Sandy Lyle and Ollie, later stages, I know it's a little bit later but well, I don't want to get into names. There's a lot of guys out there, and it is amazing to me and probably the hardest thing to grasp is the fact that I've won more.
And you know, obviously the next step is only well, certainly in the modern era, there's only two more majors, so trying to put yourself in that bracket takes a lot of getting used to. If I was to catch Seve at five or Nick at six, it's something that I have to get my head around and that's going to be one of the tasks is to believe it and to go ahead and do it.
Q. Grand Slam?
HARRINGTON: A Grand Slam is a different kettle of fish. You know, I've won two of the four. Yes, If I was going to win another major, I would like it to be one of the other two and if I was going to win the last one and then the fourth, but I'm not going to be picky. I'll settle for just winning the Open every year. That would do okay. Obviously my goals have to change and things like what you're talking about there are on the radar, that are going to be down there somewhere. Whether I succeed in those, the priority is more or less what I've done for just over 2 1/2 years now, is just make sure that I bring my game to the majors.
I concentrate on peaking in those weeks and being ready to play in those weeks. I reckon it's at least another eight years of being competitive, and I think that there's plenty of time to win plenty more majors and the key is to keep making sure and I do believe my game is getting better, and mentally as well.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Padraig, thanks for your time and good luck this week.